The Poppy Curse
by allyrwhitney
Summary: It only grows in a random place once every ten years. What happens when someone comes in contact with it? (Sofia is 18.)
1. Prologue

_I only own my ideas._

The Poppy Curse

Prologue

It was a rather stormy evening in Enchancia. The day had started pleasantly enough for early spring. There had been plenty of sunshine and a slight breeze. As the day progressed, however, that breeze had become a fierce wind. Eventually, the sun had been blocked out by heavy black clouds. The downpour had started late in the afternoon, bringing with it thunder and lightning. All the people and animals of the kingdom were inside their homes, not wanting to be caught in such a terrible storm.

In the castle, the atmosphere was somber. Servants went about their duties as expected, but instead of the usual cheerfulness one would expect, they all had worried looks on their faces. Even Baileywick, who always seemed composed, was starting to look anxious.

In the dining room, most of the royal family had just sat down for dinner. They were having pot roast and baked potatoes. In spite of the gloom around them, James lit up considerably and started shoveling food into his mouth. Amber just pushed the food around on her plate, occasionally glancing at Sofia's empty seat. The king and queen ate slowly without saying a word.

Suddenly, there was a loud clap of thunder, startling everyone at the table.

"Oh," Amber gasped, dropping her fork. "This is a horrible storm!"

"It feels like this storm just came out of nowhere." Miranda turned worriedly to her husband. "Rollie, you don't think it has anything to do with what happened to Sofia, do you?"

The king shook his head and squeezed her hand comfortingly. "No, dear. We all know how unpredictable the weather can be. It's probably just what it is, a storm."

"I hope Sofia will be okay," James said quietly.

"We all do," Amber sighed.

…

In his workshop, Cedric was oblivious to the storm as he poured one final ingredient in to his cauldron. He watched in satisfaction as the potion turned a dark shade of red.

"This has to work," he muttered desperately. "If it doesn't…" He shuddered. "She has always believed in me. I cannot even imagine my life without her. I _will_ save her…"


	2. Where Is She?

Chapter One; Where Is She?

A week earlier…

Amber nibbled on a sugar cookie as she scrawled yet another note on a piece of parchment. Going over her notes, she nodded in satisfaction and picked up her teacup to take a sip. Her eyes fell on the parlor's clock, and she frowned, setting the cup back on the table.

"Where is she?" she muttered a little impatiently.

The future queen of Enchancia had been waiting for almost an hour for Sofia to join her for tea so they could go over plans for a ball that was to be held the following month, but the younger princess had yet to show up. Sofia had happily agreed to have tea with her that morning at breakfast when Amber had invited her, saying she didn't have any other plans except helping Cedric in his workshop. So where was she? Sofia could occasionally be late, but it wasn't like her to keep people waiting so long.

After a few more minutes, the blonde princess huffed and stood up. "I'll just go find her. I need her opinion on some of these ideas."

The first place she looked was Sofia's bedroom. The auburn haired princess wasn't there, but Violet was in the closet hanging some freshly washed dresses.

"Violet, have you seen Sofia?"

"Not since this morning, m'lady."

Amber sighed and went on looking for her sister. The library was empty, except for one of the maids on a break. Miranda was getting a fitting with Madame Collette. Roland was in his office going over reports. James was off on a quest with some of the knights and wouldn't be expected back for a few days. Amber was about to head in the direction of Cedric's tower when she saw Baileywick walking down the hall leading to the king's office carrying some documents. She hurried to catch up with him.

"Baileywick, have you seen Sofia?"

"Not since she went out to the gardens about two hours ago." He pulled out his pocket watch and nodded. "Yes, two hours ago. Is something wrong, Princess Amber?"

"She was supposed to join me for tea, but she never came."

"Well, perhaps she had a sudden Protector mission."

"Then why wouldn't she at least tell someone she had to leave?" she asked, a little more impatient than she intended to be.

The steward chuckled lightly. "Perhaps she didn't have time. You know how urgent missions can come up out of nowhere. Relax, Princess Amber. I'm sure Princess Sofia is fine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get these documents to your father."

Amber sighed as she watched him continue down the hall. She decided to walk through the gardens to see if her sister was there. It was a beautiful spring day. Flowers of many varieties and colors were in full bloom with butterflies fluttering about. But Sofia wasn't in any of the main gardens. Maybe Baileywick was right. Maybe she had just gotten an urgent mission from the Protectors. Over the years, there had been a few such missions when Sofia would disappear for days at a time. Her friends and family had gotten used to her disappearing every now and then, but that didn't mean they worried any less.

The blonde princess decided to check one more place before giving up and going back inside. She walked down the path to Sofia's secret garden and pushed the gate open. Like the rest of the gardens, this one was alive with colorful flowers and butterflies. But Amber barely noticed any of this. Her eyes fell on a figure in a familiar purple dress lying motionlessly under one of the trees.

"SOFIA!"


	3. In the Garden

Chapter Two; In the Garden

Cedric was at the top of his staircase with a cup of peppermint tea looking down at the beautiful scenery outside the window. It had been a relatively calm day of potion making. Sofia had come up earlier and helped him with a potion to keep weeds out of the garden. He had also made a solution to keep the castle rugs clean. That would give Baileywick one less thing to fuss over.

At the thought of the steward, Cedric smirked. The rugs might stay clean, but that didn't mean there wouldn't be dirty footprints on the rest of the floor, especially where James walked.

Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was broken by the workshop door being flung open and Baileywick calling, "Cedric! Cedric, where are you?"

The sorcerer sighed in annoyance and set his cup on a nearby table. "Up here," he called, leaning over the railing. His annoyance faded when he caught sight of Baileywick. The older man was breathless, as if he had run all the way up here. He was wringing his hands as he looked around franticly. Cedric instantly knew something was horribly wrong. He hurried down the stairs. "What is it, Baileywick?"

"The royal family… needs you… in the… king's office," the steward panted, trying to catch his breath as he leaned on his knees.

Cedric didn't need to hear more. He ran out of the workshop and down the tower steps. What was going on? He had never seen Baileywick like that. Had something happened to one of the royal family? To Sofia? Fear gripped his heart as he hurried down seemingly endless hallways. Finally, he reached the one that led to Roland's office. The door was open, and as he approached from down the hall, Cedric could hear Amber's voice wailing.

"No… no… _no_… This can't be happening!"

When he reached the doorway Cedric saw Miranda trying to calm Amber, who was sobbing hysterically. The queen had a very worried expression on her face as she hugged her older daughter close. Roland was bent over the sofa gently shaking the shoulder of the figure of a girl with auburn hair who was wearing a purple dress. The king looked grim.

"Sofia!" the sorcerer cried in alarm. Disregarding his status in front of the royals, he rushed to the sofa and fell to his knees beside the princess. Reaching out one hand, he felt for a pulse, sighing in relief when he found one. "She's alive."

"Yes, we know," Roland said, frowning in concern. "But… Why won't she wake up?"

"I don't know, Your Majesty. What exactly happened to her?" Sofia didn't seem to be hurt. In fact, her color and breathing were normal. Cedric took one of her hands. It was still warm.

"That's what we've been trying to figure out," the king replied, turning toward his older daughter. Miranda had managed to get the blonde princess to sit in a chair. The girl was still crying with her face in her hands. "Amber, please tell us what happened."

Amber hiccupped and looked up, wiping tears from her eyes. "I… I…"

"Amber, breathe." Miranda laid her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Take a deep breath and calm down. I'm sure Cedric will find a way to wake Sofia, but he needs to know what happened."

It took a few deep breaths before Amber felt calm enough to speak. "Well," she began, folding her hands in her lap. "Sofia was supposed to join me for tea, but she didn't come, so I decided to go find her. Baileywick said she went out to the gardens, so I went out to find her. She was just lying there, under a tree in her secret garden."

"Did you see anyone or anything out of the ordinary?" Roland asked.

"No, Daddy. I only saw Sofia. I thought she was..." She sniffled as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

Cedric realized he was still holding Sofia's hand. With a sigh, he placed the appendage back on the sofa. He stood up and addressed the royals. "If you'll excuse me, Your Majesties. I will go to Princess Sofia's garden and see if I can find anything."

The king nodded, and Cedric left the office.

…

As Cedric made his way down the path to Sofia's secret garden, he remembered that day so many years ago when he had worn a yellow bow on his head to help guide guests to the princess's tea party. To this day, he still hadn't figured out exactly _how_ he had been talked into wearing the ridiculous thing. Something about big blue eyes looking sadly up at him…

With a huff, the sorcerer pushed the gate open and stepped into the garden. It looked practically the same way it had a couple of days ago when Sofia had all but dragged him out here for tea and fresh air. There was the sparkling pond. There were all the flowers she loved, daffodils, hydrangeas, roses, and so many others. There was the tree she liked to sit under. There didn't seem to be anything unusual here, and Cedric was about to leave when something under the tree caught his eye. He walked over and knelt down for a closer look.

He gasped when he realized what he was looking at. Nestled in the grass was a flower with a black center and red petals shaped like a bowl. It was a poppy, but not just any poppy. Its petals were shimmering and sparkling in a way that could only be magic.

"This is it," the sorcerer muttered to himself.

He pulled out his wand and levitated the flower off the ground. He then used a spell to seal it in a protective bubble. It was time to show the royal family.


	4. The Sleeping Poppy

Chapter Three; The Sleeping Poppy

"It's a flower." Roland stared in bewilderment at the poppy, still in the protective bubble, hovering near the Royal Sorcerer. "What harm could it possibly do?"

They were gathered in the throne room. After Cedric had left to investigate the garden, Roland had carried Sofia to her room and laid her on her bed. The fact that the youngest princess was only sleeping, not dead as Amber had feared, seemed to calm everyone somewhat. Amber and Miranda sat quietly in their thrones waiting to hear what Cedric would say.

"It's not just a flower, King Roland," Cedric sighed. "This is the legendary Sleeping Poppy."

"Oh…" Roland thought for a moment and shook his head. "I've never heard of it."

Cedric turned his head slightly and rolled his eyes. "_Of course you haven't_," he thought sardonically. "_You probably wouldn't know a magical item if you saw one_." Using his wand, he conjured a large and very ancient book entitled _Magical Flowers and Herbs_. Carefully, he flipped through the yellowed pages, finally stopping near the center. "Here it is," he said, beginning to read out loud. "The Sleeping Poppy is a rare flower of unknown origins that only grows once every ten years in any given place or environment. Anyone who comes in contact with it will fall into a deep slumber. The flower can vary in color from red to purple. It is identified by the shimmering of magic in the petals." He looked up at the three royals. "We were all made aware of this flower in Hexley Hall. It's one of the many things we sorcerers should be on the lookout for. I found it near where Princess Sofia likes to sit in her garden. My guess is that she was curious about the unique flower and touched it."

"But there is a way to wake her up, isn't there, Cedric?" Miranda asked hopefully, leaning forward in her throne.

"Well, um…" he gulped nervously, scanning the pages in the old book. Truth be told, there was no cure listed for the Sleeping Poppy, and he didn't want to have to tell the royal family this particular news. Luckily for him, someone walked into the throne room behind him quite unexpectedly sparing him the task.

"Hey, everyone," James called jovially, startling the sorcerer. "What's up?"

"James?" Roland asked in surprise. "You're back early."

"Yep," the prince beamed. "We finished the quest sooner than expected, so we decided to come home. Oh, hey, Cedric! What's this?" He reached for the poppy floating near the sorcerer.

"James! Don't!" Amber cried.

With a flick of his wand, Cedric sent the blonde prince flying a few feet away. "My apologies, Prince James. But even with this poppy in a protective bubble, you shouldn't touch it, lest you end up like Princess Sofia."

James sat up rubbing his head. "Ow! Wow, Cedric, you really–" His eyes widened as he realized what Cedric had just said. "Wait! What happened to Sofia?"

"She has fallen under a sleeping curse, and we can't wake her up," Roland explained glumly.

"Oh." The prince stood up, frowning thoughtfully. "Well, what if we get a prince to kiss her?"

Amber scoffed. "James! Be serious!"

"I am, Amber," he argued. "It worked for Snow White and Princess Aurora."

"Yes, but that was True Love's Kiss for both of them." She threw her hands up. "How do we even know who Sofia's true love is?"

"I can think of a few guys who are in love with her."

No one seemed to notice the pained look that crossed Cedric's face as he listened to the talk about a prince kissing Sofia. He didn't like the idea at all. He was saved from having to hear any more by Baileywick walking into the room.

"Your Majesties, dinner is ready."

"Great! I'm starving!" James cheered, rushing out of the room.

"Oh, really," Amber huffed. "Sofia is under a sleeping curse, and he's excited about _food_."

"Relax, Amber," Miranda said calmly as they followed James and Baileywick to the dining room. "He probably hasn't had good food since he's been gone."

As the rest of his family went to the dining room, Roland walked over to Cedric, who was still searching through his book. He cleared his throat, getting the sorcerer's attention. "Cedric, I know our relationship hasn't always been the best, but I know you will find a way to wake Sofia. I believe in you."

Cedric was stunned. He had not been expecting that. "Th–Thank you, King Roland," he stammered. "I promise I will find a cure for Princess Sofia. If there isn't one, then I will make it, but I will wake her up."

…

On the way back to his tower, Cedric stopped at Sofia's room. Opening the door quietly, he made his way to the bed and knelt beside it. The princess was lying there with a peaceful expression on her face. She was still wearing her purple dress. Cedric reached out and took her hand.

"Sofia," he sighed. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you. I already made this promise to your father, but I will find a way to wake you up. I owe you so much more than I can ever give you."

He kissed her hand and covered her with a blanket from the foot of her bed. Then he headed for his workshop to begin researching ways to break the curse of the Sleeping Poppy.


	5. The Book of Rare Cures

Chapter Four; The Book of Rare Cures

Present time…

A loud crash of thunder made Cedric jump finally making him aware of the storm raging around his tower.

"Merlin's mushrooms," he grumbled. "Where did this storm come from?"

For a minute, he gazed out the window at the pelting rain and flashing lightning. Then he sighed and started walking around, or rather _trying _to walk around, a table he had set up in the middle of the room. Unfortunately, a large book on the floor caught his foot, making him trip and fall none too gracefully.

"Poseidon's pumpkins," he groaned, sitting up on his knees and rubbing his bruised backside. "I just need a clean vial, but the cabinet is on the other side of the room. And I always trip over this blasted book." He picked up the offending book. "And I think it's time I cleaned out some of this stuff. This book probably belonged to Father's great grandfather." He set the book aside and stood up, making his way to the cabinet for the vial he needed.

The workshop was… a mess. It looked like a tornado had literally blown through. No doubt Baileywick would have a heart attack if he ever saw the state of the room. Books were piled on almost every flat surface, save for his worktable. Bottles and beakers had been tossed carelessly to the floor causing a few to break into pieces. There was even a pillow on his desk where he had fallen asleep a few times.

Cedric himself was exhausted. For the past week, he had worked tirelessly to find a way to wake Sofia. Potion after potion had been brewed, every one of them ending in failure. He had read everything he could find about sleeping curses. He only ate a conjured roll or sandwich when his stomach wouldn't stop grumbling, and he only slept for a few hours when he found that he could no longer read or stir a potion properly. He only left the tower to try a new spell or potion on the sleeping princess, only to be disheartened when nothing worked. It seemed that there really was no cure for the Sleeping Poppy.

Then that morning, he had been at the top of his ladder looking at the books on the highest shelf in the tower. His tired eyes fell on a very old and very dusty book titled _Rare Cures_. Judging from the wear on the cover, it had probably belonged to one of the first Royal Sorcerers of Enchancia. Not daring to hope, Cedric had pulled the thick book out and, with some difficulty, carried it down to his desk and started looking through it.

The book contained cures for just about anything humanly possible. From small things, such as bug bites, sunburn, and rashes, to bigger things like allergies, illnesses, and fatal wounds. Cedric had to question some of these "rare" cures, but given how old the book was, they were probably rare when it was written. Cures for blindness, muteness, and deafness required particularly expensive ingredients. A potion made with mint could take care of bad breath for life. Then there were the cures for magical curses, most of which the sorcerer had never heard of, such as "Upside Down Room" and "Flower Hair" and other strange things.

But finally, he found it near the back of the book. According to the description, it was a cure to wake someone from any sleeping curse. The ingredients were pretty simple, a sprig of lavender, a red rose petal, fairy dust, and a few other things. He had gathered everything he needed, and the potion was made.

So here he was, standing in front of his worktable looking down at the dark red liquid in his cauldron. He turned to the old book next to the cauldron, scanning the page and checking one last time to make sure he had done everything right. Then, with slightly shaking hands, he used a ladle to pour the potion into the vial.

"This has to work," he murmured, placing the stopper on the vial. "If it doesn't, I don't know what will. I promised the king, and Sofia, that I would wake her up." Holding the vial in one hand, he carefully made his way to the door and left the workshop.

Cedric didn't realize that he was missing one final ingredient. At the bottom of the list, the ink was so faded it was impossible to see in the dim light…


	6. Awake

Chapter Five; Awake

Cedric made his way to Sofia's room without incident, which was a miracle since he was so tired he could barely walk straight. He had traveled this route so many times in the past week that he could probably do it in his sleep. He frowned and shook his head just to make sure he was awake. This wasn't the time to be falling asleep.

In Sofia's room, he closed the door behind him and started making his way toward the bed. Suddenly, his foot caught the edge of the rug causing him to stumble and nearly drop the precious potion. Thankfully, he managed to catch his balance in time. With a huge sigh of relief, he reached the bedside and placed the vial safely on the nightstand before all but collapsing onto the chair that had been left there for anyone who wanted to spend time with the sleeping princess.

For a moment, he just sat there watching her. Sofia had been changed into a light purple nightgown earlier that week to make her more comfortable. Amber came every day and brushed her sister's hair. Sofia looked lovely as she slept. But Cedric longed to see her beautiful blue eyes. He wanted to see that smile that was so full of warmth. He wanted to hear her voice again…

Moving forward, he took the vial from the nightstand and pulled off the stopper. Standing up, he slipped one arm under the girl's neck tilting her head upward. Gently prying her mouth open with one finger, he held the vial to her lips. When the potion was gone, he laid her head back down, set the vial aside, and stood there waiting.

Nothing happened.

Cedric could feel his heart breaking. He reached out and took one of her hands in both of his.

"Please, my dear, you must wake up," he pleaded. "The kingdom needs you. And… and I… I need you…"

Cedric didn't know what made him do it. Perhaps it was one last desperate attempt to wake her. Perhaps he thought he would never get the chance to do it. Whatever the case, he leaned down and kissed her lips, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away. When he stood up again, a wave of sheer exhaustion came over him and his knees gave way. He fell forward, his head landing on the mattress beside her.

As he drifted off he murmured, "I love you."

Cedric didn't see the storm cease outside the window. The rain stopped and the clouds dissipated. A beautiful full moon was now shining over the kingdom accompanied by thousands of twinkling stars.

In Sofia's room, a ray of silver moonlight shone through the window bathing the room in a gentle glow. The princess's head turned from side to side as she began to stir. Her eyes fluttered open. At first, she was confused about where she was. Looking around, she saw her familiar window seat. Then she saw her vanity. She was in her room. She rose on her elbows. And that's when she saw the familiar head of black hair with gray bangs on the mattress beside her.

"Oh, Cedric," she whispered, reaching out a hand and running her fingers through his silky hair.

Cedric groaned tiredly as he felt someone touching his hair. Using his hands, he pushed himself up off the mattress while struggling to open his eyes. When he finally managed to get them open, he saw that Sofia was awake. She was smiling warmly; her big blue eyes sparkled as she gazed at him.

"Sofia…" he whispered, crawling onto the bed as she moved over so he could lie down next to her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. "I thought I'd lost you. Oh, Sofia, I…"

When he trailed off, she pulled away slightly and looked at him, only to find that he had fallen asleep on her pillow. With a giggle, she leaned up and kissed the tip of his nose. "I love you, Cedric the Great," she murmured as she snuggled close to him again.

…

A little later, Miranda made her way to Sofia's room to check on her daughter before heading to bed. Pushing the door open, she gasped in surprise. Sofia was sitting up in bed reading a book by the light of a candle on her nightstand. Beside her, covered by a blanket, Cedric was fast asleep.

When she saw her mother Sofia smiled but shook her head, holding a finger to her lips.

The queen smiled broadly.

Just then, Roland walked up behind his wife and peered inside the room. "Oh, good. She's awake." He then frowned. "But why is Cedric sleeping on her bed?"

"Oh, Rollie, let him be," Miranda said gently as she led him away down the hall. "He's been working so hard this past week. He's exhausted."

Roland nodded thoughtfully. "I think he deserves a week's vacation. Now come on. Let's tell everyone the good news."

…

In Cedric's workshop, a beam of moonlight from the window was shining directly on the book of _Rare Cures_ which was still open where the sorcerer had left it. At the bottom of the ingredient list three words were now visible.

_True Love's Kiss…_

A/N: Thanks for reading. I know this concept has been used a few times, but I wanted to share my version. I hope you liked it. Thank you for all the reviews. They meant a lot.


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